ARC GUEST CAST
Episode 22. "Going Home." Wednesday, 10 pm. 10/26/1988.
PLOT
Vinnie returns to his old neighborhood to escape the tension of life undercover, but he's drawn back into action when Neo-Nazi terrorism hits home.
CAST
LINES
"Daryl, there are two Forest Lawn fairies outside the door."
(About his promotion) "There’s a little guilt involved. The success is Vinnie’s."
"Oh, thank you for forty months of valiant service in the face of daily terror, and now, Vinnie, if you don’t mind, we would like to confine you for an indeterminate amount of time while the Bureau psychiatrists ascertain your moral fitness?"
(About Vinnie’s hair) "Ya know, another month of this you’re gonna be able to infiltrate the Hell’s Angels."
"We’re not gonna put any more pressure on you, Vince. Elias’ll cut through the red tape. We’ll rush your resignation."
Episode 23. "School of Hard Knox." Wednesday, 10 pm. 11/2/1988.
PLOT
With no leads after his brother's hit-and-run death, Vinnie returns to the OCB to go after a neo-Nazi organization and retrieve a friend who's a follower.
CAST
LINES
"Vince, you don’t care about my happiness."
"What do you mean, cancel? We can’t cancel."
"You set me up, Vince."
"The next time you decide to leave the Bureau, you go with your gut."
Episode 24. "Revenge of the Mud People." Wednesday, 10 pm. 11/9/1988
PLOT
Vinnie's pursuit of Pooley is derailed when Vinnie is arrested for the murder of an off-duty cop. Frank rescues Vinnie by claiming to need him for a federal investigation, but not before Vinnie is beaten up while in custody.
CAST
LINES
"Daryl, I don’t know what they got him on, but it must be big. I don’t think I can badge him out."
(strong-arming the cops) "That’s Terranova’s booking number. Now there’s a computer. What’d you say we punch it in."
"What kind of goof do you think I am? Terranova’s playing an inside game for us. I’ve got an alibi for him for the time of that armored car job."
"You’re growing up, Vince."
"It’s a promise I made to a friend that couldn’t be here."
Episode 25. "Last of the True Believers." Wednesday, 10 pm. 11/16/1988.
PLOT
The fire of Pooley's organization begins to die down, but Vinnie must pursue the last murderous zealot.
CAST
COMMENTS
LINES
"That means I know who the boss is-- you, sir-- and I hope the numbskulls here make you more that interim director, ‘cause I like working for somebody that doesn’t sit on their brains."
"You spare me the excuses. What you did makes me feel like a jackass for backin’ you every step. I bought you all kinds of time for your personal fandango. And you wind up shooting yourself in the foot."
"A watched phone never rings. Didn’t they teach you that at Quantico?"
"You always feel like you should've done something a little extra for the kid. Because you care about him. You really do. Oh, sometimes you feel like having him fit for a straightjacket. Sometimes you feel like wringing his neck. But he's your responsibility. He's family by default. Sometimes the silences can be loud."
"You think harder, sport."
*Episode 26. "Aria for Don Aiuppo." Wednesday, 10 pm. 12/7/1988. (Non-arc episode)
PLOT
Vinnie's mother accepts a marriage proposal from retired mobster Don Aiuppo, despite Vinnie's serious misgivings.
CAST
COMMENTS
This is the Christmas episode. Frank has tinsel stuffed in his coat pocket at the OCB Christmas party. He’s whistling ‘Deck the Halls’, and grabs Vinnie’s arm to avoid walking under the mistletoe (Hung from a security camera) when walking into OCB headquarters with Vinnie; Frank obviously knows what to expect from demonstrative Italians. Also, Frank’s reaction when Vinnie brings food out to the Feds on stake-out in the van is great.
LINES
"No I don’t have any idea what’s going on, but it better be good. They tore me away from the hearth and a colorized version of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life.’"
"Let me know when he’s up to the really big prizes, Paul. Sorry."
"You can’t believe that Vince is involved with Aiuppo."
"Am I missing something here? The most sophisticated law enforcement agency in the world just found out Auippo’s in the country illegally?"
"Vince, you are asking us to violate the law. Now that is the exact kind of indulgence and abuse that you find so abhorrent…"
(In van) "You know, I have been sitting out here for two hours and…" (V: ‘Here you go, Frank.’ Hands him a plate.) "That’s for me?" (‘Yeah.’) "Well, thanks, Vince."
Garment industry arc, episodes 27-31.
ARC GUEST CAST
Episode 27. "7th Ave. Freeze Out." Wednesday, 10 pm. 12/14/1988.
PLOT
When a garment manufacturer turns to the mob to bail out his business, his son turns to the OCB.
CAST
LINES
"Thanks to Marv Epstein, the Bureau’s answer to sodium pentathol."
"I’m sorry, Johnny’s gonna have to call you back. Right now he’s being arrested."
Episode 28. "Next of Kin." Wednesday, 10 pm. 12/21/1988.
PLOT
Eli waits for news from Sri Lanka, where a bomb exploded in his son's hotel. McPike recruits a wary veteran agent to hold together the operation after Vinnie is hospitalized.
CAST
COMMENTS
Ken Wahl’s on-set injury (his foot was run over by a camera) necessitated Vinnie’s hospital stay, and the addition of Raglin. Good scenes for Frank include trying to stay awake on stakeout at the docks. He wears formal black tie in this episode, too.
LINES
"Well, looks like they rounded up the usual suspects."
"Vinnie, I’m thinking of putting somebody else in."
"The only man I know that even comes close to being in your league."
"…You wanted to send one big message to the crap out there that think they’re beyond the law. Well. I’m offering you the chance."
"Dear Mom, I’m too old for stakeouts, no offense, Mom, but here I am anyway… Don’t worry, I didn’t volunteer, ah ha ha, a cab broke up my best undercover man... as for me, your darling son, I got the booby prize."
"Come on, Frankie, you can stay awake, big guy, you can do it, you can do it."
"Go for it, go for it. I’d just as soon shoot you as look at you."
"You don’t like this, do you? Well, good, I’m glad you don’t like it. ‘Cause every minute you’re awake I want you to know that I’m out there trying to slap your tail in jail with a bunch of animals that will do more than wipe that smug look off your face."
Episode 29. "All or Nothing." Wednesday, 10 pm. 1/11/1989.
Writer: Suzanne Oshry.
Director: Gus Trikonis.
PLOT
Raglin follows Pinzolo's trail into Chinatown, where a strike snarls business for the Sternbergs. Eli's niece Carole sews up her alliance with Pinzolo.
CAST
LINES
"Pinzola’s a walking piece of Teflon—nothing sticks."
"You don’t preach revolution on the streets of this country without renting drawer space somewhere in Washington."
Episode 30. "Where's the Money?" Wednesday, 10 pm. 1/18/1989.
PLOT
Raglin reveals to David that his cousin helped Pinzolo with insider trading, sparking a sequence of vengeance, unveiled memories and death.
CAST
COMMENTS
The scene in the bank where Frank out-machos Mooch and deals with Raglin is excellent.
LINES
"I give a damn. Now, what’d’ you need?"
"We all carry guilt. It doesn’t mean we’re responsible. Things go wrong sometimes."
"What are you, greaseball? A lawyer?"
"Do you know you have your hand on me?" (see also episode 7)
"I’m supposed to let a federal agent blow a guy’s brains out in a public building? You’re off the case."
"I have nightmares like everybody else."
Episode 31. "Postcard from Morocco." Wednesday, 10 pm. 1/25/1989.
PLOT
Eli offers Raglin all his money to revenge the death of his son; Raglin links Carole to Pinzolo, who plots an escape form the country.
CAST
COMMENTS
Good reaction from Frank when Raglin kills Pinzola, claiming he thought he had a gun.
LINES
"You’re trying to play God and you haven’t got the qualifications."
"I know you’re trying to do it your way. You just consider the consequences if your way doesn’t work."
"Oh, Ricky, I’d rather see you carried out in a body bag."
"I am bitter. You gonna stand there and hand out spiritual advice or you wanna press charges?"
"Not having what it takes to commit murder is not my idea of a character flaw."
"We thought he had a gun. We both thought he had a gun."
"Sometimes it seems pretty gray."
*Episode 32. "Stairway to Heaven." Wednesday, 10 pm. 2/1/1989. (non arc episode)
PLOT
Vinnie gives McPike a million in blood money to pay for his alcoholic wife's liver transplant, forcing McPike to choose between his ethics and his wife's life.
CAST
COMMENTS
One of the best McPike episodes. The heart-to-heart talk in Vinnie’s kitchen is superb. Because this is Frank’s life, of course Jenny decides to leave him after recovering from her surgery. He’s got a good scene with his son Drake, and a great bit when he shoots the juke box.
LINES
"I don’t believe alcohol and driving mix, I sure as hell don’t believe firearms and alcohol mix."
"There's nothing wrong. If there was something wrong I could take care of it myself."
"You know what shrinks say about guys like us? They say we become cops ‘cause we want to be in control."
"Jenny’s gonna die and I’m gonna sit there and watch it."
"I tell you I need money and the next morning there is a million and change in non-sequential bills in the front seat of my car. Now doesn't that seem a little coincidental to you?"
"If I don’t report this, I am in collusion. Jesus, why did you do this to me?"
"You take your hands off me!" (That line again.)
"You are asking me to go against everything I believe in."
"I wasn’t born perfect. I’m far from perfect."
"I smoked dope… I went to college. Nights, but I went to college. I was a normal kid. You never tried it?" "I only did it a couple times. It made me paranoid."
"We’re here to turn ourselves in for misuse of federal funds."
*Episode 33. "White Noise." Wednesday, 10 pm. 2/15/1989.
PLOT
When Frank’s wife kicks him out, he shows up to stay with Vinnie. Concerned about his friend’s condition, Frank convinces Vinnie to go in for a routine physical, where Elias gets the agent placed in a psychiatric ward. In a drug-induced twilight zone, he meets the image of Sonny Steelgrave.
CAST
COMMENTS
Frank’s rain-soaked and chagrined arrival at Vinnie's is perfect, as is his storming into the hospital to rescue Vinnie.
LINES
"I'm a homeless person, Vince. My wife had an epiphany. During the transplant surgery a divine vision came upon her and whispered, ‘Vanquish the Philistine.’"
"I haven’t been with another woman for twenty years… one… a moment of weakness. I had a stable marriage. It mighta been stale, but it was stable."
"Vince, I wanna be angry, I wanna be depressed, but she is so caught up in the wonder of life that when she told me to pack my bags, it was like she was doing me a favor. ‘We are on this blessed pilgrimage, Frank.’ I got a blessed pilgrimage—I’ve got a mortgage payment, two autos, none of which I can afford, and now I’m supposed to spring for a furnished apartment. I want to strangle her. But she’s so radiant in her new life—I feel guilty for being rejected."
"It’s only for a short time, Vince. An OCB undercover operative and his regional director rooming together isn't very good for your cover."
(In the hospital) "I am a very angry man with a lot of power."
"Daryl. You know, I really shouldn’t be surprised. I want Vinnie Terranova."
"I don’t need a warrant, you yahoo."
Music industry arc, episodes 34-40.
ARC GUEST CAST
Episode 34. "Dead Dog Lives." Wednesday, 10 pm. 3/1/1989.
PLOT
Vinnie becomes the head of a record label on a probe of the music industry, and he hires an insider who introduces him to a singer on the flip side of success.
CAST
COMMENTS
Great scene with Frank picking out Vinnie's tie.
LINES
"You know, Lou, I been wearing long pants for quite awhile. Now, you must want something from the OCB."
"You look at your ties. You got more ties than Countess Mara. Why don’t you ever wear any of these?"
"You know, I know how you get into a case when I have to twist your arm. The idea of the havoc you could create by genuine enthusiasm scares me to death."
"You are not supposed to make money, you are supposed to make arrests."
Episode 35. "And It Comes Out Here." Wednesday, 10 pm. 3/8/1989.
PLOT
Vinnie's crash course in the music business begins to pay off when he initiates a bidding war for his label, but it might cost him when he comes up against big-time record producer Winston Newquay.
CAST
LINES
(Clean?) "You could eat off him."
"This is not all rock and roll, dude."
Episode 36. "The Rip-Off Stick." Wednesday, 10 pm. 3/22/1989.
PLOT
Winston seeks to bring Diana back under his thumb, just as her career begins to take off again.
CAST
LINES
"We’re dealing with creatures from another planet, Paul."
"I dunno. I wish they sounded like Chuck Berry."
"That’s where your Regional Director comes in. I’ll be there to remind you, you are an outsider. And as long as you’re a cop you’ll always be one."
Episode 37. "High Dollar Bop." Wednesday, 10 pm. 4/5/1989.
PLOT
Vinnie uses his alliance with Twine to lean on one of Newquay's artists, but Newquay pushes back hard. Travis discovers Twine hasn't come clean.
CAST
LINES
"Vince, you are taking this very personally."
Episode 38. "Hip Hop on the Gravy Train." Wednesday, 10 pm. 4/12/1989.
PLOT
Vinnie uncovers Newquay's dirty financial operation, Claudia rocks Newquay by demanding more power and pursuing Eddie Tempest, and Twine considers rolling over on Newquay.
CAST
LINES
(Hard man.) "Um. You should’ve seen me in my prime."
"You got a deal. I never win at these things."
Episode 39. "The One That Got Away." Wednesday, 10 pm. 5/3/1989.
PLOT
Newquay turns the tables, asking a Washington insider to investigate Vinnie's background.
CAST
LINES
"Hey, hey, hey, pal, I can make life unbearable for an ex-felon, no matter how much he’s supposed to’ve reformed."
"You know, it is not easy pretending that I do not know you."
"Every time I turn around, somebody wants me to promise them a record company. What do I look like?"
"It’s a basic tenet of democracy—innocent until proven guilty. Not that we should let that stand in the way of a good time."
"…fraud, tax evasion, and a generally annoying attitude."
Episode 40. "Living and Dying in 4/4 Time." Wednesday, 10 pm. 5/10/1989.
PLOT
Newquay takes the OCB to court to clear his name, while suffering the loss of his last friend.
CAST
LINES
"Necessity is the mother of invention. Sometimes it can be a pretty mean mother."
"…fell through the skylight. They were in the act. So much for safe sex."
"Don’t worry. I said, ‘If there’s any justice.’ I doubt that there is."
*Episode 41. "Call It Casaba." Wednesday, 10 pm. 5/17/1989. (non arc episode)
PLOT
Vinnie goes fishing with McPike and Lifeguard, who's caught up in an emotional struggle over his daughter's plans to marry.
CAST
COMMENTS
Fantastic episode, with some of the most realistic late night conversations and soul-baring ever. Never-married Vinnie, recently and painfully separated Frank, and long-divorced Lifeguard are all given the opportunity to express their views on relationships. Frank’s annoyance when he arrives at Vinnie’s place at dawn and Vinnie isn’t packed, the entire restaurant drug-selling scene, philosophy on the couch, fishing, campfire conversation, the disturbed night in the cabin, the next morning in the kitchen, the drive home—all are wonderful scenes. There isn’t a moment in this episode that isn’t perfect. And speaking of the couch, Frank (at least with some beer to help) has gotten more comfortable with the demonstrativeness of Italians, leaning on Vinnie and accepting his kiss on the head without annoyance. The creative team liked it too—the scene went into the credit run.
LINES
"Vince, meet Daniel Benjamin Burroughs."
"Trip was his idea. I think it’s a good one. I think he’d appreciate it if you got to know him."
"He’s been making noises. He leads an isolated life, career-wise."
(About Lifeguard) "He was a real hound at the Academy."
"Yeah, see, there's a lotta things you don't know. You're such a kid."
"Mr. Burroughs, if the fishing is half as good as you say it is, all appetites should be satisfied by nightfall, weird or otherwise."
(Instructing Vinnie in fly fishing) "You gotta think floating, think floating!"
(About Jenny leaving him) "We both knew it. But she is the one that said it. I don't like it, I couldn't've done it, it cuts my ego right down the middle. It's still one of the bravest things I've ever see someone do… the bitch."
"Oh, Vinnie, you’re right. Hindsight’s everything."
Mafia arc, episodes 42-46 (Episodes 43-46 in Season Three)
ARC GUEST CAST
Episode 42. "Le Lacrime D'Amore." Wednesday, 9 pm. 2 hours. 5/24/1989.
PLOT
Love entwines Vinnie and Amber, as Vinnie gets entangled with the mob, after his stepfather pledges to protect him.
CAST
COMMENTS
Vinnie’s demonstrativeness is catching. Frank embraces him in the garage when the Aiuppo connection pays off.
LINES
"I wouldn’t worry about it. When a woman doesn’t want you to be confused any more, she unconfuses you very fast. I think the smart ones let you think you’ve done it yourself."
"Vince, this is what we do. This is what it's all about, the aggravation, the wreckage that becomes our home life, this is it. This is the pay dirt."